Bitch, bitch, moan, moan. ;)

I know all these aches and pains are supposed to get worse before they get better, but sheesh. Yesterday evening I could barely move. And then about 10 pm I hiccoughed. You know one of those little ones that come out of no where. AGONY! So it was a lousy night.

This morning, like a good daughter, I made a few accident related calls to doctors, insurance companies and the attorney. Apparently Dad was on the phone making appointments as well. He called me three times to have me put them on my calendar. :)

So now that's all over I'm going to have lunch and get back to my sewing machine. I just have to put the binding on the grandson quilt. He's overdue now and we're anxiously awaiting the big phone call. I'm not sure how the Navy works it, but apparently the Sailor Son gets two weeks leave when baby arrives. Only problem is babies don't follow military schedules. They arrive when they damned well please. LOL

Quilt photo later. :)

A is for Avalon

Yesterday we drove all the way back up to Henderson to test drive a 1999 Toyota Avalon. I fell in love with it. So after a few small fixes by the dealer we will be driving back up sometime this week to get it. So much more comfortable than the Saturn Vue. I'm really glad we had the Saturn but it just isn't practical anymore. And with all my current aches and pains it just isn't comfortable to climb in and out of or to drive. So here is the pretty Avalon.


Listening to: Suite from Swan Lake, Tchaikovsky, Royal Philharmonic

Life and Lexus

Well we did it! We are now the proud owners of a 1996 Lexus LS400. Dark green, And....still owners of the Saturn Vue! We found a great place up in Henderson with exceptionally good prices. :) The car we originally planned to buy (at another dealer) did not have some safety features that we thought it did. So since this whole exercise is a result of the car crash last week, we refused the car. Instead we browsed some more on cars.com and autotrader.com and found a neat place called the Auto Mart of Henderson. They apparently do a roaring business in used cars under $12,000. People come from all over, even Canada!

This and That and UFOs

At the ER they gave me a prescription for Valium and I have to say it's been helping me sleep! We're all feeling better. I still have the dilemma that it hurts to wear a bra and hurts not to. LOL It's always the small things that pose the biggest problems. :)

Anyway... We are going back out to buy a new car today. It's Dad's car that was totaled but it's caused The Tramp and I to evaluate the cars we drive. We love our little MR2's but I don't think they are safe cars for commuting. The Tramp is driving an hour each way and it just isn't worth the risk. So today we are trading in the Saturn Vue for a used Lexus. I'm not sorry to see the Saturn go, I never was emotionally attached to it. On the other hand, I was very much attached to the Taurus wagon that the Saturn replaced so we are looking around for another one for me to use. It's more comfortable, more practical for driving Mom and Dad around in and also has room for dogs and cargo.

Ok...enough about cars!!! On the fateful day, Friday, we had a lovely trip up to Wake Forest to check out a store called Quilts Like Crazy & Knits Too. What a nice store! and the staff was so helpful.

I bought fabrics for the bag pattern I got recently. I had the butterflies in my stash and needed some yummy stuff to go with it.


I also have this Stargazey Heartz quilt that I've been hating since I started it. I bought new border fabrics and I'm beginning to see the possibilities. Mom picked off the old border for me while sitting at the hospital and I can't wait to get the new one on.


This quilt top has been around for so many years. I made it in a class given by..... Arrrggh. I can't remember her name! Sadly she is no longer with us. And I can't find the instructions. It was a very cool way of putting the blocks together. Anyway, it never had a border so we bought fabrics for this too.

BUT...the baby quilt and a few other things have to be finished first! :)

I just realized....

When the doctor checked my bruises yesterday I also received my flu shot. No wonder I'm even more dragged out. They said to expect a low grade fever and feeling tired. Nothing like slapping myself down even further when I'm already pretty down and out. Sheesh. Oh well....at this point the only way is up!

And Grandson is due to be born at any moment. That's the kind of cheering up we need!!! :-D

Tuesday again...

A good day. Dad passed his stress test with flying colors and was released from the hospital this afternoon. He was thrilled to be told that he has the heart of a 20 year old!!

I, on the other hand, am exhausted. I'm still not at full strength after my surgery six weeks ago and am really straining myself being all things to all people this week. My aches and pains are better and the bruises are healing/yellowing which means parts of me are in fantastic technicolor! I am sooooo glad I can stay home tomorrow. No more hauling off to the hospital. This being the primary driver for everyone right after being in the accident myself is pretty stressful. Brings to life that saying about getting right back on the horse! Sheesh. I tap my brakes every time I see a car coming from a side road or driveway and wonder if and when I'll ever get over it.

We stayed at Mom and Dad's for dinner and The Tramp took this photo of me across the dinner table. Have you ever seen anyone look so grim and tired! I can only hope I don't look like this more often than I realize! Yikes!!

Off for some beauty rest. Goodnight!

Each day a little better

No new photos from my camera. You'll understand if I don't feel like posting photos of the smashed up cars or views of people in hospital gowns.

But much was accomplished today. I spent pretty much the whole time from 8am to noon talking on the phone. First one insurance company then the other, back to the first and back again. I made a follow-up doctor appointment for myself and changed some of Mom and Dad's appointments to next week. Dad is in a regular room now and doing so well we figure he'll be home in a day or two!

I also called the church at the site of the car crash to ask after the driver of the other car. We were pleased to be told that he is recovering. He is somewhere in the same hospital as Dad and may even have been in the same ICU but we aren't interested in disturbing him or his family. They feel bad enough already and have their own issues to worry about. I only asked the church secretary to pass on our best wishes for his recovery.

Mom and I stopped at the body shop where the car was towed to retrieve the tags and papers and a few personal items we forgot at the crash site. The insurance adjuster was there when we arrived and told us, much to our relief, that the car is a total loss. I'm now waiting for the "total loss adjuster" to call me. From the state troopers, the staffs at the two hospitals, to the reps from both insurance companies I have to say that everyone we've had to deal with has been exceptionally concerned, pleasant and helpful. I can't tell you how nice it is to be able to say that.

Dad is now unhooked from most of the tubing and machinery and when we left today was only wearing a wireless heart monitor. He is scheduled for another test on his heart tomorrow and if that's clear he should be coming home soon. The change from how incapacitated and in danger he was on Friday night to how he is today seems a true miracle.

So take some time to go hug the ones you love. You just never know.

E.T. phone home

Funny the things you observe in a hospital. Dad has a pulse monitor taped to his index finger. The tube comes from behind him, up his finger and is taped at the tip. It glows bright red from under the tape and of course the first thing I thought of was E.T. :)

I remember when the movie came out in 1982. Eldest D was 5 years old. We took her with us to the movie on a Sunday afternoon. She was completely inconsolable afterwards because E.T. went home. We thought buying her a stuffed E.T. she could take to bed that night would do the trick. But though they were Nauseatingly Available Everywhere You Turned in the stores there wasn't a single store open on Sunday night that had one. The best we could do was a little plastic E.T. from the drug store. Knowing her, she probably still has it stashed away somewhere.

Not so good week after all....

In my last post I said this had been a good week. And it was....but that all ended yesterday afternoon. My Mom, Dad and I were involved in a car crash. We had a lovely day driving up to Wake Forest to Quilts Like Crazy, had lunch at the Olde English Tea Room, and browsed The Cotton Company. We stopped for groceries and were heading home when BANG.

An elderly (age 92) gentleman drove his car out of a parking lot right in front of us without even pausing. We hit him going about 50mph. Dad (age 85) was driving and couldn't and didn't do anything different than I would have done. There was just no chance of avoiding the collision.

The airbags and seat belts did their job. We were able to get out of the car and walk around while the other driver was taken away all neck braced and strapped up in the ambulance. As soon as the car was towed away The Tramp bundled us all in our car and took us to the ER. We had all felt pretty good considering, but once the adrenaline wore off it became apparent Dad was not doing well. He is currently in ICU with a cracked sternum and they are watching him very closely because of pressure on his heart. He's just about the healthiest 85 year old I know but this was just too much.

Mom and I have chest contusions but our x-rays were clear. I have the most spectacular bruise across my abdomen! So we're moving slowly and not much sewing is going to happen for a bit despite all the yummy fabrics I bought yesterday.

Makes you think.......

Just another Thursday...maybe not!

We have a 20% chance of rain today...but the sun is out...sigh. And it's HOT. I haven't gotten used to this climate yet. It's October, and I had to put the air conditioning on today! Yikes! In New Jersey early October is when you pull down the storm windows and turn the furnace on for heat. Sheesh!

This has been a good week. Look what I got! A goody came in the mail yesterday, from Sharon. She apologized for taking so long to get it in the mail but it really wasn't! I guess when you're so busy partying...... ;)
And look what my mommy made me! I'm such a lucky girl! Isn't it wonderful. On a stretcher frame and everything! Yes it's crooked. It's just balanced there for now. We've got to get 10 feet up to put the nails in the wall! I can tell Zelda approves of the location. It coordinates with her outfit. LOL
That wall hanging was meant to be a mate to this one, for my office in New Jersey.
There was mention of a third one which I'm not sure is happening. That's just fine. I'm feeling plenty rich with color already! :) Thanks Mom!

Also this week I unearthed this WIP quilt top.
It's Stargazey Heartz from Stargazey Quilts. I bought it as a "pattern plus" from Keepsake Quilting probably almost 10 years ago. Wait a minute....the receipt is still in the envelope....October 2000. I was disappointed with the background fabric and felt it wasn't the same as what was pictured in the catalog. It's very orange (not my color) and the greens are icky muddy. But I put it together anyway and have made two false starts quilting it. I ripped it all out again yesterday and am going to have a shot at machine quilting it. It's actually quite striking in the photo, isn't it. I may have to revise my opinion of it. We'll see.

The Stealth Dog likes to curl up in a little space under the counter I sit at in my study. For all her height she's very narrow and has no trouble squeezing in between the shredder and the speaker. As usual it's hard to get a decent photo of her. Made even harder by the fact that she will get up and move if I get up to take the photo at a better angle! At least her teeth and eyes show a bit. :)